MOST women have been pushed into their jobs by well-wishers; drifted into them; or followed the beaten track laid by their elders or peers. a fortunate few have had the chance to heed their drummer and follow her beat. And naturally, they are happier and more successful than their sisters. Still, with this guide, finding a job after your heart is oh-so doable.

Assess Yourself
A two point programme that works like a dream is to judge on two parameters: Inherent talent and acquired skills. For instance, it's useless opting for a career in fashion designing if you don't have an eye for colour. However, once you're fairly sure about what you can do, go about finding out whether you need to acquire some specific skill for it. But skills are often transferable - those acquired in one job are often very helpful in others too. For example, a teacher already has the grounding to be a successful counsellor. A summer job at a fast food joint can be a good exercise for a future PR person.

Where Interests Rest
Very few of us give much weightage to the compatibility of the profession we choose with our basic interests in life. After all, we are likely to spend a major part of our life doing the work we choose. Sadhana Srivastava, a lit grad from Delhi University, says: "I'd like to opt for journalism, but my parents feel I should go in for a stable job like banking." So, even though her heart is not in it, Sadhana is mugging up for the forthcoming Bank Probationary Officers' exams. Being a brilliant student, she's likely to succeed and secure a position in the banking world, but how long will she be happy? Overlooking your interests is almost a surefire way of making sure you'll be miserable all your working life.